A letter written by students about their P4K initiative they started at their school.

   ”  One day in late October, our teacher Mr. Hynd told us about a charity; Pencils for Kids. Pencils for Kids is a Canadian charity that provides classroom supplies, programs, libraries, and schools for communities in Niger, Africa. They try to create a world that provides every child with an opportunity for an education. We were immediately inspired and wanted to help out.

     Both being from the Sri Lankan heritage, we know the feeling of children left in poverty and having no education. As in Sri Lanka, many kids feel this way. Not only do they not have an opportunity for education, but the families cannot afford to send them to proper schools. We wanted to make a difference; we wanted to change many things.

     After forming a club, we immediately wanted to start. We sold pencil necklaces made from stone, to raise awareness throughout the school. We wanted our school to know about this great charity, and how they can also make a difference, and help kids who deserve an opportunity for an education.

     Then we decided to host a penny drive at our school. With the help of Mme Martin and Student Council, we asked every kid to fill up a paper bag to a certain amount with pennies. They were then tallied, and the total was counted on a pencil meter. In order to raise the spirit of the School Community, we gave a prize to the first class that filled up their pencil meter.

     For a final event and fundraiser, we had a raffle at the school’s Family Movie Night. The winner of the raffle was rewarded with a $25 gift card to Chapters. Many people enjoyed this activity, and thought it was a great way to raise money. We had loads of fun.

     In total this year, Pencils for Kids Redstone raised an amount of $1410.87. We would like to thank our teacher Mr. Hynd for giving us this wonderful opportunity, Mme Martin for supporting us, and Redstone for helping us achieve this amount. We are very proud of ourselves for being able to raise awareness for kids in need of an education, and we feel honoured to have been able to be a part of this charity. We look forward to another year of continuing our charity contributions at Redstone!”   

 -Vithu and Thurgaa

Redstone Public School